Main menu

Utah Mother Says Her 19-Year-Old Son Chandler Webb Died From A Flu Shot

A Utah mother claims the flu shot is responsible for the death of her healthy 19-year-old son.

Chandler Webb received his first ever flu vaccine on Oct. 15, the day before he fell into a coma.

A recent high school graduate, Webb was preparing to travel on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

His mother Lori Webb says he received a flu shot, a physical exam, and a tuberculosis skin test.

Popular Video

A police officer saw a young black couple drive by and pulled them over. What he did next left them stunned:

Popular Video

A police officer saw a young black couple drive by and pulled them over. What he did next left them stunned:

But 24 hours later he began vomiting and was admitted to a Salt Lake City hospital where he fell into a coma.

“Sicker than he has ever been in his life. He says he's never shook so hard his whole life. He had the worst headache, throw up, and he slept for about two and a half days and didn't eat anything during that time,” his mother told the Salt Lake Tribune.

After 28 days in the hospital, Chandler was taken off life support on Tuesday. Lori says the direct cause of his death was swelling of the brain.

"I’ve never been so scared in all my life to see my son go through so much," she said.

She says Chandler was never sick before the flu shot.

"We’re angry because we believe it’s the flu shot that [caused] it," she said.

Six neurologists at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray treated Chandler. They checked for everything from West Nile virus to Lyme disease without discovering the cause of his illness.

“They checked every virus, every fungus, ever tick, west nile they even checked for rabies,” said Webb. “And they can't find anything ... it was the most senseless, senseless, death.”

Webb declined an autopsy. A brain biopsy is pending and she believes that will be enough to determine cause of death.

“I hate this,” she said. “I hate that I have to bury my son.”

Utah Department of Health spokesman Tom Hudachko said the state has no record of anyone dying in Utah from the flu vaccine.

"Like with other medical procedures, there can be side effects and adverse reactions," he said. "In the vast majority of those cases the side effects are not very severe — soreness at the injection site, low fever, achiness. Occasionally, yes, there are more severe side effects from receiving the vaccine."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, “The risk of a flu shot causing serious harm or death is extremely small. However, a vaccine, like any medicine, may rarely cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. Almost all people who get influenza vaccine have no serious problems from it.”

Severe allergic reactions to the flu shot are more likely among people with a severe allergy to eggs.